Recreational Van Camper

[reppans]

Hello, I'm a retired recreational camper in New England that has previously owned a Westy and small Class B, and have just down sized to a minivan. I'm an outdoor enthusiast and believe the minivan might best suit my current needs as a jack-of-all-trades vehicle for: daily driver, people/cargo/motorcycle hauler, dog house, day-trip base station, and of course, an ultra-stealth camper van.  

I've always been an ultra-light/-compact traveler and need to further simplify my life.  I am looking forward to learning/sharing ideas on minimalist road life with you fine folks.  

See you out there.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome reppans to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. highdesertranger

 

[travelaround]

Welcome to the forums . . . will you be keeping the backseats in your van, or are they easily removed to transform it from a people-hauler to a camping vehicle?

 

[reppans]

Thanks for the warm welcome folks.

The third row seats will stay - they are not easily removed/re-installed (but drop into the floor) and I could use a seat in back anyways. I also like the reasonably voluminous/hidden storage behind the third row seats so I can fold/pack/hide all my gear and give the appearance of an empty 5-passenger minivan if parking the van unattended for a few days while backpacking or bike-touring.

The second row seats pop out easily and will be removed for longer trips; maybe I'll leave one seat in for shorter trips; but impromtu camping is still viable with all seats in place - the second row scrunches up against the first row reducing the 8x4ft flat floor space to 6x4ft... not much different than my tent.

 

[travelaround]

That's great, that you have removable seats that can be reinstalled when you need them. I am getting a cargo van and wonder how I might install seats if I ever have more than one passenger!